A collection of ‘forgotten’ photographs offering a glimpse of 19th-century life in Beijing has recently emerged. Taken by photographer Georges Morache between 1865 and 1866, the album consists of 41 black-and-white photos, Daily Mail reports.
Morache was a chief medical officer in the French army and an amateur photographer who moved to China in 1862. His photographs portray what everyday life was like in Beijing 150 years ago. Snapshots depict street musicians, historic buildings and robe-clad monks.
“What is so extraordinary about these photographs is that he was not producing them for the public. He was making them so they could be viewed by his family and his friends,” said Richard Fattorini, a books and manuscripts specialist at Sotheby's. "Many of the early photographs taken in China were taken by visiting professional photographs. But Morache would have had privileged access to scenes and locations little-known to those just passing through the capital.”
The photographs were only ever copied four times and are therefore considered to be very rare. In fact, they were only ever viewed by the public once, when they were featured in a French magazine in 1876. Another reason the photographs are so prized is because very few photographs were taken in Beijing during the 1860s. This is largely due to the fact that cameras were still rare commodities during the time.
“Photographs of Beijing in the 1860s are extremely rare, and especially ones featuring so many faces,” Fattorini said.
The long-lost album was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in London earlier this week. The collection was expected to be sold for roughly RMB672,000 (USD99,000).
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